[fluid]

I'd like to get a new stick. The twist on my Wingman Extreme (blech) has broken one too many times and now just kinda does its own thing when I move the stick around, whether I'm twisting or not (locking the stick into place still causes drift on the twist axis), so I'd like to get a new one. I'm kinda leaning away from any HOTAS because of desk space issues. I'm also not a huge fan of force feedback sticks (at least ones I've tried in the past) because I find them to be too tight and difficult to twitch or nudge. Twist is probably a good idea since I'm used to it, but I'm willing to listen to an alternative. Keeping it under $100 would be nice, under $50 even better, but I'm willing to pay for quality after dealing with this piece of crap Wingman for the last 2 years.

So, anyone got a suggestion for me?

[QrazyKermi]

X52. Screw that "leaning away from any HOTAS" crap, and rearrange your living space and life to make room for it. It's worth it

Other than that, the only other JS' I have experience with are the MS FF1, FF2, and Sidewinder Precision Pro (something like that). The latter lasted me about 3 years and stood up relatively well. I think you can still get them on eBay for $10 or so. I had a Logitech Extreme 3D (something like that), and it lasted about 2-3 months before getting that notorious twitch problem that so many Logitechs get. So I'd recommend staying away from Logitech.

Not much help, I know, but some food for thought nonetheless.

[Romulus]

My Saitex X45 has been the best stick yet. The other JS tend to create a drift after so much play and I have had this one a while and it's still as steady as the day I got it. I would like to get the X52 but unless i convince my son or daughter to take up flight in Jumpgate I will stick with this JS.

[Jump]

If you like twist then get the X52. If you wanter cheaper quality with a different style then X45.

[fluid]

Originally Posted by Jump

If you like twist then get the X52. If you wanter cheaper quality with a different style then X45.

The store demos of the X45 have always felt very plasticy. Maybe next week I'll look for a X52 and see how it feels.

[QrazyKermi]

A couple things about the X52, seeing that you're at least curious

1) It has a much longer throw than the X45. In fact, it has a longer throw than any other JS I've tried. This should, in theory at least, give you more precise control. But it does take some getting used to.

2) I can't say enough about how well this thing is built. It is solid, somewhat heavy, and all the buttons and moving parts just feel so precise. Nothing about it feels plasticy.

3) See #2. It's just that well built.

[GrimGriz]

There's an LCD on the throttle right? What displays on that in say...Jumpgate?

[QrazyKermi]

The bottom 1/3 or so can display either the current date/time, or a stop watch.

Above that is an area that has three lines of text:
- The top line simply says Mode 1, Mode 2, or Mode 3, depending on which mode you currently have selected. You can alter the titles of these modes, so that instead of saying "Mode 2", you could have it say "Docking". This would make sense if you had your buttons set up differently for when you are going to dock at a station. You'd simply rotate the mode selector to mode 2, "Docking" would appear on the screen, and all your buttons would now be set to this alternate configuration.
- The second line indicated which button is being pressed. For instance, when I press the primary weapon firing button, it says "Trigger". When I hit one of the secondary weapon firing buttons it says "Fire B", etc. etc. You can customize what this line says for any or all buttons, but I haven't played with it yet.
- The third and last line of text tells you which JS profile you have loaded.

And at the very top is another showing of what mode you are in, however this one can't be altered. It simply tells you Mode 1, 2, or 3.

Here's an image of the X52 with the LCD enlarged:

[GrimGriz]

I don't know if I'm man enough for that stick.

[Nohbody]

How big is the X52? With my hands (which aren't exactly tiny), it's kind of hard to find a comfortable stick that I can hold for hours at a time. I think the local Best Buy carries it, but it's a good 20 minute drive from here, and their website is one with which I've had issues, in regards to inventory databases.

The stick I have listed to the left of this post is okay in that, but it's not very precise, and unless I dial Jumpgate deadzone up to 10% it tends to drift to the right. For PvP flying I have my hand on the stick anyway, so it's only a slight inconvenience, but if I'm hauling it's somewhat of a pain to have to keep contact with the stick to keep from drifting into the path of a petal, or to dial up the Jumpgate deadzone enough to ignore the drift so I can free my hands for things like chat, reading books on the really long/heavy hauls, and so forth.

[Jump]

Well, the Saiteks have thick handles, but I remember that Beegle (BufloEagle) had to take his X45 back because he couldn't get his hands in because of the finger gaurd. But he is a pretty big man.

[QrazyKermi]

The X52's adjustable handle is pretty large when it's set to the largest setting. I know when I first held it I had to stretch my pinky to activate the pinky trigger when I was using the primary trigger. I've since adjusted the handle so that my hand can actually rest on the cradle properly, and all my fingers can reach their buttons comfortably. Based on informal testing at my local Best Buy, the X52's handle can accommodate larger hands than the X45. Hope that helps.

[fluid]

I notice in the picture there are no wires. Are they just photoshoped out for aesthetic value or is it wireless?